Last post now 1¾ hours earlier at 11 mailboxes

Royal Mail’s idea of the “best possible service” is bringing forward the time of the last post by one hour and 45 minutes.

There are 11 post boxes across Reading which have had their last collections moved to earlier times from today.

Notices have been stuck on the post boxes affected where Mary Warrick, collection planning manager, says: “In order to provide you with the best possible service, we are continually reviewing the collection of mail service. Part of this ongoing activity involves revising the collection times from pillar-boxes.

“To ensure you receive a high quality, consistent service there is a need to change the latest collection time from this particular posting box.”

One of those is the Barracks box number 127 in Oxford Road, West Reading, where the last posting time has been moved from 6.15pm to 4.30pm.

There are others in East Reading and in Southampton Street in the town centre that are affected.

Tom Prendergast, spokesman for Royal Mail, said: “In a highly competitive postal market we need to constantly monitor and review our operations to ensure we can provide a high quality service to our customer.

“A recent count of mail in 11 boxes with late final collections – including the Barracks box – revealed very low levels of posted mails.

“Revising these collection times enables us to get mail from busier boxes to Reading Mail Centre earlier for procession and onward distribution.

“Notices will have been displayed on the boxes advising customers of the changes.

“With over 1,600 post boxes in the RG postcode area, many with later last collection times, our customers have plenty of options for posting their mail.”

Oxford Road resident John Glover contacted the Evening Post to say: “As you can see, they’re cutting the latest collection time by one and three quarter hours – about how long it would take me to walk to the Caversham Road Mail Centre and back.”